


Fragile

by OneSpacer



Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: Drama & Romance, F/F, Femslash, Fluff and Angst, slight AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-27
Updated: 2018-04-21
Packaged: 2019-02-07 17:04:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12845598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OneSpacer/pseuds/OneSpacer
Summary: Young Moira Burton finds herself cornered and desperate at her home. Dealing with her guilt, sorrow and depression in hostile home she tries to endure the broken family life day at the time until eventually running away. The downright fall comes to a surprising halt with a meeting of an old friend who might be able to bring something bright into her otherwise dark life.





	1. A broken girl from a broken home

**Author's Note:**

> I recently found the world of fanfiction and wanted to tip my toes in it's waters by doing some of my own. I fell in love with Moira's and Claire's characters and decided to give it a go myself after reading amazing works from others. I have plans to continue the story, so comments and feedback are welcome!

"Oh, it looks like the next one is on the house." Cashier smiled as he put the last stamp on the coffee pass. "You want anything else with that?" Man asked while sliding the takeaway mug across the counter. Girl shook her head as she took her coffee and collected her, now full, coffee pass. In return she counted her coins before passing them along the counter with a bland expression. "No, thanks." With that she tucked coffee pass back into her pocket and left without saying another word. A cold breeze welcomed her back outside from the warmth of the indoor kiosk she had been visiting a lot lately, more times than she liked to admit.

Moira took a deep breath. Running away from home at the edge of eighteen. What a joke she was.  
"Next one is on the house.." Brunette repeated the words with a chuckle. That would make this her fourth getaway this month and it wasn't even two weeks in. When arguments with her family got out of hand more than usual she was out the door even before Barry could start bringing up the past mistakes on top of whatever they were fighting about. From there it was always the same routine. First she would wait on a street corner until she was calm enough to show her face to people without snapping at them with anger or having teary eyes. Once calm Moira would make a stop at the kiosk for coffee to drive the cold away. After that she took a bus to the city center to wait it out at the mall or at the library. Barry would calm down eventually.. And so would she.

When she would get back home both of them would say "Sorry" without meaning it and hate each other in silence until something, that being Moira's behavior, would drive them into the next argument. Mom almost always sided with Barry, which didn't help things, even if Kathy was trying her best to get along with her oldest daughter. Polly would stay in her room to study, or to act like she was studying, when her big sister was home just to avoid the family drama. It wasn't the best way to deal with problems but it was the Burton's way to deal with them. They had been falling apart for years now. Barry was too stubborn, old and proud to listen, take blame or budge in a fight and Moira had given up on trying to make him understand her side of things a long time ago. It was fucked up. It was beyond fucked up to be honest.

Just thinking about it was enough to get her eyes water up again. "God damn.. Urgh." Groaning in frustration Moira brought her hand up to wipe away her newly formed tears with her sleeve. She wouldn't cry. Not out here, not now. Steeling her nerves she started to walk against the freezing wind towards the bus stop. Downside of getting out of the house in a hurry was that she usually forgot something important. Last time it was her phone, this time it was her gloves. Wrapping her fingers around the coffee cup with both hands eased the cold but the wind was enough to afflict stinging pain on the back of her hands.

The few people girl saw on her way to the bus stop seemed so happy. Winter holiday had just started and christmas was around the corner. "Why wouldn't they be happy?" She thought. Christmas was the best time of the year for the family or at least every damn advertisement tried to sell you that lie. If there was families like that, Moira Burton certainly didn't belong into one. For her christmas was the worst time of the year. An annual reminder of how things could get from bad to worse. The last thing her family needed was outside pressure to try to act normal and like everything was okay when it wasn't. If only the damn holiday didn't exist. When everyone was at school or at work they functioned well enough as a family since no one had energy or time to argue about things.

A faint smile formed on her face as she finally saw the bus stop in the distance. All she had wished for was a peace of mind and to just stare out the window without thinking anything for ten minutes. Luckily for her there was only a couple of people standing around waiting for a ride which meant she would be left in peace for the drive in a half empty bus. Reaching the bus stop she took shelter under it's roof like the others. Claiming her own spot to wait girl leaned against the wall while taking regular sips from her coffee to keep her warm for a short wait. Thought it wasn't a short wait. By the time the bus actually arrived Moira was trembling from the cold. Of fucking course the bus had to be late today, a lot. Her hands were shaking as she gripped on the half empty cup trying to find comfort from it's warmth as she was the last one waiting in line to get in. Maybe having a proper winter jacket instead of a leather one would have helped but it was a bit too late for that.

"Could you be any more late?" Moira snapped at the driver while swiping her bus pass on the card reader. He was about to reply something but in all honesty she didn't care to hear it and just walked past him. Other passengers sit down at the front while she headed for the back. Taking a seat near the end of the bus Moira finally had time to just sit back and clear her head. For a moment she just stared out of the window while they started moving, though a lot slower than usual with the driver trying to stay on the icy roads. Guess that explains why he was so damn late. After finishing the coffee Moira placed the empty cup on the next seat to wait there until getting off and finding a trash can for it. Brunette lifted herself up from the seat just enough for her to reach the back pocket of her jeans to pull out her music player.. Which wasn't there. Moira dropped back down and let herself sink into the seat. The player was propably sitting on the counter by the front door of the house where she forgot it in a hurry. After a frustrated kick at the back of the seat in front of her she took a deep, wavering, breath while trying to fight back the tears that were coming back. Moira felt pathetic. Something as minor as forgetting a music player at home was enough to push her towards the edge. However she was soon forced to pull herself together, or at least act like she had done so, when she noticed one of the passengers staring towards her. Feeling embarrassed Moira just leaned back in her seat again and closed her eyes wishing the others would mind their own business.

If the music couldn't take her away from here the sleep certainly would.


	2. Buoy

That sweet release of sleep never came. All Moira got was to snooze with her head resting against the cold window until sliding and dropping down soon after just to wake her up again. Sleeping in moving vehicle never worked for her and now the girl wondered why she even bothered to try. Only positive she could come up with was how it made the time go a bit faster with her being unconscious for a few minutes at the time. When the bus finally reached the city center she felt groggy and even more tired than before. Pushing herself up from her seat Moira took the empty coffee cup from the seat next to her and headed out of the bus. Not feeling like talking brunette gave a small nod to the driver as a thanks and stepped out. Being the last one to leave the bus it's doors closed behind her and the driver took off. Moira looked around seeing the other passengers hurrying to wherever they were going to get out of the cold. Unlike the suburbs the center of the city was pulsing with life in contrast to that boring, eerily quiet, part of town she came from. Something was always happening, life was interesting and there was places to be. Here she felt a lot more relaxed and at ease unlike at her own neighborhood and home.

Not knowing what else to do Moira threw the empty cup in nearby trash can and started to walk towards the mall. At least here the wind wasn't that strong and simply tucking her hands into her pockets was enough to keep them warm for the short walk. On the way there she got a few good chuckles out of the more and more pompous christmas decorations that the shops had placed on their windows trying to show-off how their shop was better than the one on the other side of the street. It was kind of ridiculous but one of the few aspects Moira actually liked about christmas. As a child she had been drooling all over them with her mom trying to steer her away from all the pretty lights and cute little wooden elves on the shop windows that made the little brunette stop on her tracks just to marvel at them.. How the times had changed.

Loud bing from her phone pulled her back from her thoughts. Moira closed her eyes and took wavering breath before taking a look at her phone. It wasn't a fancy smartphone like everyone else had but an older model thanks to old fashioned Barry who thought having a phone that could send texts and answer calls was enough. Screen was lit up with dim light and it read someone had sent a message. "Don't be Barry, don't be Barry, don't be Barry.." Was all that echoed in her mind as she pressed the button to see who had sent it and what they had to say. It was Barry. "..Fuck" It was simple text and to the point. "Are you coming home for dinner?" That was all it said. He didn't say he was sorry, he didn't say they should talk about the fight they had earlier, nothing like that. Her answer was even more to the point. Moira deleted the message and put her phone away.

Walking through the doors to the mall she felt her anger, frustration and to some extent her sadness boil up in her as she felt that familiar urge to to fight back her tears. How could a simple text from Barry leave her in such a state? Fighting the tears back was hard. All she wanted was to be left alone and having him trying to act like nothing happened was just insulting. She was starting to tear up again. Did he even to stop for one second to think why his daughter might have run away again? "Hey." Did he even think? "Moira." Did he even...

"Hey, Moira!" The voice that had kept talking over her thoughts of anger had finally cut through them and snapped her out of it. Brunette came to full stop after realizing she had kept walking fast through the mall without any direction in mind during her little outburst. She started to turn slowly to face the one who had evidently kept running after her until finally getting her attention. Before her was standing an older woman in her early 30s with a bright smile on her face and her dark red hair tied on a pony tail. She was wearing thick dark grey winter jacket along with matching pants and somehow still managed to look good in them. Claire Redfield always had that impeccable timing to show up and she was one of the dad's friends Moira actually liked. In her mind Moira thought Claire as her friend and all these years they had known each other she had always hoped the adult felt the same. "You are fast one, aren't you?" Redhead laughed with that bright smile of hers that managed to prompt Moira to smile as well. "Hey, Claire." Brunette replied with a chuckle. For this moment Moira felt at ease. She didn't think back to what waited at home when she would get back nor how terrible she felt just a few seconds ago. Maybe this day wouldn't turn out to be so bad.

But then it hit her.. She had just been on the verge of crying before Claire had stopped her on her tracks. Please, Claire, just don't see it. "I barely could keep up with you after I noticed you and.." Don't notice the teary eyes. Just fucking don't. "..Moira?" She did. "Are.. Are you okay?" Redhead leaned a bit closer to take a better look at the young girl in front of her. Moira's smile wavered a while trying to fight it all back to hide the tears, exhaustion.. All of it. Claire was the last person she wanted to see her cry.

"Have you been crying?" And there it was.  
That question the woman asked with a bit of hesitation set it all loose. "No, shut up.. I.." Moira tried to speak but the lump in her throat became overwhelming. "I.." She started to cry. Hard. Soon brunette could barely see as her sight became blurred by her tears. Moira stood there crying in front of everyone. Moira's hands were limp on her sides.. She didn't have any strenght left. She hated it. She hated it all. "Hey, hey.. It's okay." She could barely hear Claire's words as she took her into a close embrace. It felt warm. Moira just rest her head on the woman's chest and weakly raised her hands to wrap them around her friend to hug her back as she finally let it all out. "I got you." Claire whispered "And I'm not going anywhere." Moira felt like she was about to drown but someone was keeping her afloat and that someone was Claire Redfield.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm impressed with myself that my plans to continue this fic actually happened. Hopefully I have been doing okay job portraying Moira's character and her situation. Also I admit I was way too nervous when writing Claire's introduction to this fic since she is one of my favorite characters and so many people love her. Next chapter, whenever it might come, should be less dark than the ones before it but no promises!


	3. Break

Moira flinched as she woke up with a painful groan. Her head was still hurting from crying. Not wanting to wake up to the splitting headache she opened her eyes slowly. Someone had tucked her in with an oversized blanket to keep her warm. Brunette turned on her side to take a look around. She was in an unfamiliar living room which was dimly lit. Next to sofa she was laying on was a small table which had a tv remote along with her phone and wallet. Across the table was a widescreen tv.. Something Moira had always wanted back at home instead of the old small one they had. She turned on her back and rest her head before closing her eyes again. She felt cozy and warm wrapped in the enormous blanket that covered her from everything. Nothing could get to her as long as she stayed like this. Brunette knew full well that it was a childish thought but after today she allowed herself to have this moment. It would have been silent if not for the distant sounds coming from the other room, presumably from the kitchen. She could hear someone on the phone over the bubbling sound of boiling water. Oh, right.. Claire had picked her up from the mall. What had happened earlier was a bit of a haze.

Back at the mall Moira broke down hard after the redhead showed up. She didn't really know how long she had stayed in her arms but she was sure it was long enough for the other people to take notice. Oh god, she felt so stupid and embarrassed. How long Claire had just stood there awkwardly hugging a crying girl who was in the mix of her mental breakdown? "God.. Why.." Brunette wailed miserably as she buried her face with the cover. She felt so bad for the woman. Claire was just there to get groceries and get out but no... Moira had to be there to fuck it up and cause a scene in the middle of christmas season. Guess the mall Santa had a good laugh along with everyone else there but knowing the Redfield she didn't mind it, not even one bit. Girl cackled under the blanket as she imagined how Claire probably gave death glares at people who gave them odd looks or laughed at the crying girl in her hands. As much as she hated how she had broke down in front of her friend Moira was glad that the redhead had showed up when she did. If she would be the one to decide that hug totally deserved "the hug of the year"-award. That thought prompted another chuckle out of her.

Brunette stayed still for a while before pushing the blanket off her face and resting her hands outside of it's cover. Her hands didn't feel cold anymore. Back at home, in her own room, she would never do this because of the cool temperature. Sure, it was a room she chose and for once Barry was kind enough to let her get away with that but it still sucks. Moira's room was on the second floor at the far end of the house and right next to the stairs to the attic. Attic was freezing cold during the winter and cool during the summer and since her room was right next to it was pretty much the same. Well, not the same, but close enough. It was a small thing but in contrast to Claire's warm and cozy living room it was a big thing.

To think of it this might have been the first time she was at her house for real. Moira could think back a couple of times when she had to wait at the entry as a child when Barry came to pick up something from Claire or when they gave her a ride when her motorcycle broke down. She remembered being curious but too shy to wander into someone else's house back then.. Or maybe it was because she was yelling at Barry and Claire they were taking too long and she wanted to get going. To be honest it was most likely because of the latter. Guess she wasn't the most patient as a child. As if she was patient now. She smiled to herself as she thought how she could come here during her future runaways instead of going aimlessly around the town. Maybe she should ask from the redhead if it was okay to pop in for a visit some time. Brunette couldn't be thankful enough for her friend to bring her here instead of taking her straight back to her home. It was most likely because Claire's place was just closer but for whatever reasoning it was she was thankful for that.

"..You know me. Don't worry." Claire was still on the phone.  
The sound of boiling water had stopped a while ago and now she was able to hear what the other was saying. "Firecracker and I will be fine till then." Moira smirked hearing the nickname her friend had given her years ago and as the years had passed it turned out to be quite accurate one at that. Lately the brunette had become even more fond ot that nickname because Barry hated it nowadays. Before their fallout he had actually liked and used to call her with that but now it was just a reminder of how bad things had got between them and how much his daughter had changed since she was the good behaving, but rebellious, child. "Drive safely, Barry. See you in half an hour." Her heart sank when Claire finished the call. Of course she would call her dad. Who sane adult wouldn't call the parents after finding their daughter alone at the city like that.

She could hear the footsteps come closer and soon Claire was standing behind the sofa. Leaning forward she took a peek over the sofa's back at her guest. "Hi there." Redhead gave her a bright smile after noticing the other was finally awake. "Hi.." Moira said back silently with a smile that was nothing compared to her friend's. It was hard to smile knowing she would soon be picked up by Barry. "How are you feeling?" The smile still stayed on Claire's face but it was overshadowed by worry. Taking a deep breath Moira sit up "Better." She was holding tightly on the blanket. "Embarrassed like hell." It didn't offer comfort to the embarrassment she felt. Her friend watched the teen closely before speaking up again "Don't be." There was genuine warmth in her gaze as she looked at the teen as she said that and continued "I made some some tea, come on." She nodded towards the kitchen and gave encouraging pat on the girl's back before walking off.

Moira chuckled and looked after the redhead as she went to the kitchen and poured two cups for them. Only Claire would be so cool to brush things off like that and not making her feel worse about it. It took a while before the younger woman would get up, pick her phone and wallet, and walk after her and take a seat at the kitchen table. It was already dark outside. "How long was I asleep?" Brunette asked as she stared down at the tea cup after Claire placed it in front of her. "About an hour." Hearing the answer she took a glance at her phone to see the clock was already eight at the evening. Her friend took a sip from her cup and placed it down before talking again "I called Barry and he will take you home soon enough." This time Moira didn't offer a smile in exchange. "Yeah, I heard.." She said silently as she wrapped her fingers around the cup. "Thanks." Last word wasn't genuine but Moira didn't want to be rude even if there was no need to pretend everything was fine at home.

Claire had always been close with Barry and his family. She used to visit them for birthdays, christmas and other occasional celebrations along with her brother Chris. Redfield siblings had seen the fallout after the unfortunate incident at Burton's house and how Moira and Barry had drifted apart after that. Claire knew their family life was far from perfect but not how bad it had become. Moira snapped out of her thoughts and raised her head after hearing the other speak but she didn't listen. There was a brief silence before she asked back. "What?" Redhead chuckled. She wasn't smiling but her expression still held the same warmth as before.

"You don't have to if you don't want to but.. Do you want to talk about it?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tried my best to dwell in Moira's mind in this chapter.  
> Still nervous about writing Claire so I left her in the background for the most of time.


	4. Sorry not sorry

Girl's breath was visible in the freezing cold. Window was clouded by the vapor that formed on it's surface as Moira blew warm air into her hands as she was staring out of the car. Barry and Claire were still talking. Still. Talking. This felt almost the same as whenever Barry or Kathy came to pick her up from a friend's house after a sleepover just to end up talking to other parents for way too long before heading home. Like how long can you possibly do small talk with other adults you barely know? How can you get stuck at the exit with one foot out the door while the other was still in the vestibule and stay like that from ten to twenty minutes? As a kid she never understood how much the grown-ups had to talk about before leaving.. Guess Moira hadn't grown up enough to understand it now either.

Brunette turned to look the other way with a groan. The two of them didn't look like they would be done talking anytime soon. She tapped on the car's air conditioner in hopes of making it work but it seemed that the god had run out of Christmas miracles for this particular girl. "Fuck you too." She smacked at it twice but gave up after her fingers started to hurt. Guess she will just freeze to death instead of getting heated air from the machine. Burton's family had two cars. A new, comfortable, sedan for the whole family and the old, barely working, pickup truck. Unfortunately Barry was the sentimental type and preferred to drive the latter. As much as Moira hated to admit it she preferred this old fourwheeler over the new one as well.. But she would prefer a lot more Barry having enough common sense not to drive it during winter because of the broken air conditioner. Everyone had reminded Barry, though she had yelled, to take the pickup truck to the repair shop and get it fixed but he was too stubborn and determined to fix it himself.. Like whenever he would get around to actually do it but he was always too busy with some other stuff.

Despite the cold it wasn't that bad. A silent break was what she needed right now. Giving another glance towards the adults the girl looked at the redhead. She couldn't thank Claire enough for today. The talk, or the lack of it, they had a moment ago had been exhausting. Brunette shook her head before sinking back into her seat. That could have gone better.. She wished she had done better. 

Back in the kitchen it had been silent between the two. Tea had gone cold since neither of them had barely touched it during that half an hour they waited for Barry. Moira felt scared to speak to an adult after being neglected so many times. She was afraid that Claire would be dismissive towards her or blame her just like Barry had done so many times before. It took so much courage to start talking and once she finally did start what she told was barely coherent. "I hate it there.." That's what she said first. Moira wanted to tell her everything but she couldn't. The words just didn't come. It was intimidating to open up to the redhead even if she considered her to be her friend. Most of the time she just stared down at her tea cup in silence but Claire didn't push her. She didn't demand her to stop mumbling and speak up like the old man had.. And she didn't talk over her. Not once. She listened the girl intently and let her do the talking at her own pace without interrupting her. It made the teen feel like an equal, someone worth listening to. That feeling made it easier to keep talking.. But half an hour was over before she knew it. By the time the doorbell rang she had barely said anything to Claire.

And that was what brought her here.. Instead of standing awkwardly at the exit she waited at the car while the grown-ups were talking. She had given up on the hope of having a quick getaway so now her only wish was that Claire didn't tell Barry what Moira had told her. Though it was nothing she hadn't known before so even if she would mention about it to him it wouldn't be that bad. In the corner of her eye she saw how they finally waved goodbye to each other and Barry started to walk towards the car. Behind him Claire looked at the girl sitting in the car and waved goodbye. What she got back was a small smile and single wave of a hand before the teen tugged her hands back into her pockets. Shaking her head with a faint smile on her face the readhead went back inside and closed the door behind her. The smile the brunette had wore off the moment the door on the driver's side opened. 

Barry sit down and closed the door. There was an uncomfortable silence between the father and the daughter which was only broken by the sound of the car's engine. By the time the old man let out a tired sigh she already knew what he was about to say. 1... 2... 3... "I'm sorry." He didn't look at her as he said it. Moira mumbled with a nod "Me too." They didn't mean what they said and neither of them had it in them to try to talk it out. It wasn't an healthy way to deal with arguments but it was the Burton's way to deal with things. After another brief silence Barry took off the handbrake before putting the gear on. Just when he drove off they heard someone yelling.

Both of them looked to the side to see Claire back out of the house and jogging through the yard. "Wait!" She repeated. Pushing the brake Barry brought the car to full stop on the side of the road. Reaching them the redhead was laughing out of embarrasment as she knocked on Moira's window. Girl rolled it down so that her friend could be heard. "Sorry, I forgot to give you this." She offered a small brochure to the girl. Feeling a bit confused brunette took it "Thanks?". It was somekind of advertisement for the organization Claire worked at.. It's name, Terrasave, was written under the logo that took most of the space on the cover along with some corny slogan on the bottom. Moira could feel Barry staring down at it as well before hearing his disapproval "Claire, I'm not sure if that's really.." He started but the redhead was clearly ahead of her old friend as she started to speak over him. "Firecracker was just curious about my line of work so I figured I should give this to her but I almost forgot." Claire winked at the teen as she spoke. "But anyway, I won't keep you any longer!" She tapped on the side of the car and ran off "See you both at Christmas!"

Moira stared at the piece of paper while Barry muttered something to himself as he took the car back on the road. She didn't know why Claire gave this to her since to be brutally honest she couldn't care less about some advertisement. Her best guess was that her friend was just desperate for new members and tried to fool yet another teen into joining Terrasave.. Moira didn't even know what Claire did in that group nor what it did as a whole. Not that she really cared. Girl grumpled the brochure into a ball and was about to drop it on the floor but decided otherwise. She tucked it into her pocket for safekeeping with a smile.

Even if she didn't care for it at least Barry seemed pissed off about it and Moira had never passed on a chance to tick him off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, sooo.... I might have been super nervous of writing Barry into the story at last. I truly love his character but since this is written from Moira's point of view he isn't treated the most fairly in the story. I'm not really comfortable of writing real dialogue just yet so I described things vaguely. Even though Barry and Claire had less of a "screentime" than Moira I truly hope I managed to do justice to all three of them in this chapter.


End file.
